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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education and Sport : Education

Postgraduate Course: Outdoor Environmental Education Praxis (EDUA11423)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education and Sport CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course focuses on the theory practice nexus of the outdoor environmental education programmes' academic and field courses through an exploration of historical and contemporary approaches, place, non-human dimensions, and educational activities through directed, and self-directed personal critical reflection.
Course description Outdoor Environmental Education Praxis explores historical and contemporary approaches to outdoor environmental education practice through a critical theoretical lens, in practice. The academic courses in your programme introduce theoretical ideas in relation to, and through lived experiences. Field courses specifically provide opportunities to explore key ideas/theories/models in direct experience with the outdoors and develop some personal competence in work commonly associated with outdoor environmental education. You will engage with learning about the non-human dimensions of the location of individual academic/field courses, consider the layers of human culture that have been laid down over the location, affordances of place(s) and develop your personal competency in the educational activities being undertaken. This all takes place within the context of critical personal reflection and facilitated discussion drawing on, and making links with, the theoretical content covered in the academic courses.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Take responsibility and demonstrate initiative in meeting learning outcomes for all core field courses for their degree programme.
  2. Work cooperatively and efficiently with peers to accomplish common goals, while accounting for individual needs, ideas and abilities.
  3. Critically reflect on the importance of field experiences in light of learning and teaching in academic courses across the programme, and beyond through additional reading and experiences.
Reading List
Breunig, M. (2005). Turning Experiential Education and Critical Pedagogy Theory into Praxis. Journal of Experiential Education, 28(2), 106 122. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382590502800205
Dyment, J. E., & O Connell, T. S. (2010). The Quality of Reflection in Student Journals: A Review of Limiting and Enabling Factors. Innovative Higher Education, 35(4), 233-244. doi:10.1007/s10755-010-9143-y
Dyment, J. E., & O'Connell, T. S. (2011). Assessing the quality of reflection in student journals: a review of the research. Teaching in Higher Education, 16(1), 81-97. doi:10.1080/13562517.2010.507308
Higgins, P., & Loynes, C. (1997). On the nature of outdoor education. A guide for outdoor educators in Scotland, 6-8.
Higgins, P., & Nicol, R. (Eds.) (2002). Outdoor Education: Authentic learning in the context of landscapes (Volume 2). Sweden: Kinda Education Center.
Mahon, K., & Smith, H. (2019). Moving beyond methodising theory in preparing for the profession. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 1-12. doi:10.1080/14729679.2019.1686039
Nicol, R. (2002). Outdoor education: Research topic or universal value? Part 1. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 2(1), 29-41.
Nicol, R. (2002). Outdoor education: Research topic or universal value? Part 2. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 2(2), 85-100.
O'Connell, T. S., & Dyment, J. E. (2011). The case of reflective journals: is the jury still out? Reflective Practice, 12(1), 47-59. doi:10.1080/14623943.2011.541093
O'Connell, T. S., Dyment, J. E., & Smith, H. (2015). Students' appropriation, rejection and perceptions of creativity in reflective journals. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27(1), 1-13.
Smith, H.A. & Penney, D. (2010). Effective, exemplary, extraordinary? Towards an understanding of extraordinary outdoor leaders. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 14 (1), 23-29.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Keywordsoutdoor,environmental,sustainability,field courses,theory,practice,education
Contacts
Course organiserDr Heidi Smith
Tel:
Email: Heidi.Smith@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Claire Chalmers
Tel: (0131 6)51 6573
Email: Claire.Chalmers@ed.ac.uk
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